Intangibles in the Theories of the Firm
6th Interdisciplinary Workshop on Intangibles, Intellectual Capital & Extra-Financial Information, Catania, Italy, September 30 - October 1, 2010
33 Pages Posted: 3 Nov 2010
Date Written: November 2, 2010
Abstract
This paper elaborates on the fundamental role that a theory of the firm can play in order to enhance coherence in research on intangibles. Departing from the identification of possible inconsistencies in research on intangibles, the paper presents an analysis of intangibles-related issues within the theories of firm, namely the Agency Theory, the Property Rights Theory, the Transaction Cost Economics, the Resource-Based View and the Dynamic-Capabilities View of the firm.
So doing, the paper demonstrates that defining, valuing, managing and reporting on intangibles strongly depend on the conceptualisation of the firm, and also urges more caution in performing empirical analyses, since they could unconsciously merge inconsistent approaches from different theories.
Keywords: Intangibles, Intangible assets, Intellectual capital, theory of firm
JEL Classification: D22, D80, M41, M2
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation